By Hunt Palmer and Matt Moscona
Tuesday’s statement by Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey did not end the back-and-forth between the players fighting for a fifth year of eligibility and the SEC.
It was the next step.
As for the response from the counsel representing the 33 players who won a temporary restraining order in Louisiana’s 19th district, it was emphatic.
“It is our position that the SEC, and its commissioner Sankey, are in direct violation of Louisiana law,” Tony Clayton who, along with The Texas Trial Group, represents the players, told LouisianaSports.net. “There’s an injunction in place that prohibits the same conduct that they just passed. I mean, how can you create a bylaw that wasn’t in existence before this ruling to retroactively overrule this judge? I think (Sankey) ought to be forced to come down here in Louisiana court and explain to us how he can overrule a Louisiana judge. It’s violative of these players’ rights. I represent these players. And they cannot come in here and retroactively bring a rule that will punish these kids.”
On Wednesday, the SEC announced that any program that rosters a player in violation of Tuesday’s outlined criteria would be subject to swift punishment including the suspension of the head coach for 50% of the season, a reduction in the annual budget of the sport by 50% as well as revoking the voting rights of the school in the league’s business matters.
Sankey also announced he retained the right to enforce additional punishment.
“We will test it,” Clayton told LouisianaSports.net. “I believe that 3605 of our code of evidence law states emphatically that, the NCAA, its employees, its affiliates, its members, the whole nine yards are prohibited from taking any actions to hurt these kids. And what Sankey has done is a complete violation of state law.”
The restraining order reads that “Defendant NCAA, and it’s officers, agents. employees, representatives, successors, assigns and all persons acting in concert or participation with it, are hereby temporarily restrained and enjoined from prohibiting Plaintiffs from competing in NCAA Division 1 athletics during the 2026-27 season…”
The SEC, along with other conferences like the Big Ten, believe their newly-formed rules will be enforceable and a deterrent to players returning to the college ranks after signing with and/or participating with professional teams.
The thought process is the NCAA may lose its power in the court of law, but the league offices still control participation on the field.
Clayton doesn’t see it that way.
“The NCAA, in and of itself, are its member institutions,” Clayton said. “So, the conferences cannot now circumvent the Louisiana law and say that they’re going to issue a ban against these players when the courts have already ruled that the NCAA cannot do it. You can’t camouflage yourself or act as some chameleon and say that you’re something else, and you’re going to come in and enforce the rule that the judge just said you could not.”
The temporary restraining order won last week lasts for 10 days. On Monday, Judge William Jordan will oversee the preliminary injunctive hearing in Baton Rouge. Should that injunction be granted in favor of the players versus the NCAA, Clayton believes all of the plaintiffs in the suit should be granted the opportunity to play without penalty.
“That’s the rule,” Clayton said. “That’s the law.”
